


Time Bomb

by butterflylovers



Category: All Time Low (Band), Hey Monday, The Maine (Band)
Genre: Callakarth, F/M, M/M, Mibba.com
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-27 19:55:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17773250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflylovers/pseuds/butterflylovers
Summary: “If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know?”Title credit: All Time Low. Inspired by some post I saw on Tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know? That was precisely how Alex Gaskarth felt as he stared at his wrist. 3 days, 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 24 seconds were left till he would meet his soul mate. He's been waiting years for this, and it was coming soon.

That thing on his wrist indicated when he would meet his soul mate. Everyone has one. When they turn the age of two, the watch (if you want to put it that way) would suddenly appear on your wrist. Most people meet their soulmate during their teen years and others in young adult age. If you're near your soul mate, the border of your watch will change from green to red. If it turned blue, then it means that you officially met your soul mate. The clock itself, however, doesn't stay there for very long. It doesn't just disappear once you've met your soulmate. No, it disappears when one out of the two has fallen in love with their soul mate. And if the other doesn't love the person they're meant to be with, their watch goes from blue to purple. Then the one with the purple clock is forced to visit the Higher Ups. The Higher Ups are in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly when it comes to meeting ones' soulmate.

Your soul mate not loving you in return was always a rare occurrence, but never a good one necessarily. But the thought of your significant other not loving you was a scary thought to most people.

Alex couldn't believe after turning 25 years old; he was going to meet his soul mate finally. He imagined how gorgeous she would be and how kind she would be. How soft and angelic her voice would sound, how her eyes would be brighter than the stars. How sweet and smooth her skin would be. He thought about having the opportunity to take her to romantic dates and so much more. But he also wondered what if his soul mate wasn't the girl of his dreams? What if she was a girl with a god awful personality and wasn’t exactly the prettiest girl ever?

He sighed, looking out of the window of his bedroom. Anyone out there in the city of New York would be his soul mate, the one he’d spend the rest of his life with. He hadn’t told his parents yet because he wouldn’t know what their reaction would be. Also, he did not want to mentally prepare himself for a long lecture about being with your soul mate and that you should always love your significant other no matter the circumstances. Alex was someone who couldn’t keep his feelings or certain things about him to himself. He wanted to tell someone (but definitely not his parents).

So he picked up the phone and called his best friend, Rian.

“Hello?” asked a tired voice. Alex wouldn’t blame him; it was a little after six in the morning, and Rian wasn’t exactly a morning person.

“Rian, I gotta tell you something,” Alex rushed out.

Rian was used to Alex’s phone calls whenever he has something to tell. “Okay, spill.”

“So I woke up because I couldn’t sleep, right? And the watch was making my wrist itch, so I looked at it and the time.”

“And then what?”

“Rian, I’m close to finding ‘the one,’” he whispered, barely audible.

“You mean your soul mate? Don’t lie to me, Alex, cause this is some serious stuff,” Rian said with a stern voice.

“I’m not kidding; it says ‘3 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes, and 55 seconds’ on my damn wrist. And if you don’t believe me, then come over.”

He heard a tired sigh from the other line. “I’ll there in ten minutes.”

\--

There was a knock on the door, indicating that Rian had arrived just as he said. Alex unlocked the door, opening it and letting Rian inside his apartment.

“Show me your wrist,” Rian commanded.

“Well a ‘hello’ to you too,” he said, rolling his eyes and sticking out his wrist.

The male examined Alex’s wrist, reading the time. 3 days, 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 37 seconds. “Wow, you weren’t lying.”

“I told you, Rian, duh. Why would I joke about that?”

“Hmm, let me see,” Rian said, tapping his chin and pretending to be in deep thought. “Oh, I know! It’s because you treat almost everything as a joke.”

“No, I don’t Rian!” Alex retaliated, getting frustrated at his friend. He sat down on the couch, ignoring the way Rian was staring at him.

“Yes you do and don’t even try to deny it, Alex. Meeting your soul mate is a pretty serious thing. You think it’d be all about kissing, hugging, going on dates, and having sex in the beginning but it isn’t. It’s hard at first, and it’ll be especially hard for you because you’re someone who doesn’t take things seriously. When Cassadee and I met officially as soul mates, it was hard. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, we were complete strangers and polar opposites. We had to get used to being with each other. We had to learn everything about each other, and let me tell you something Alex; it was a hard process because we were both stubborn about it. We didn’t even have our first kiss till our tenth month of knowing each other. I know you, Alex. You’re someone who wants to show affection, but it’s not gonna happen that easily.”

“You don’t know that. You and Cassadee are different. What makes you think that it’ll be the same for me?”

“Ask everyone who has met their soul mate, because I asked so many people and they each had a hard time too,” he said, leaving the house without a goodbye.

Damn Rian for making a point.

-=-

The brunette was in a local coffee shop, getting nervous by the second. He was watching some guy with messy-ish light brown hair, a blue and white striped shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and black shoes sing. He was hoping that would calm his nerves cause the guy was a pretty good singer and the coffee he was drinking was really good. He made a mental note to come here more often.

But Alex couldn’t help to look at his wrist. It read 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes, and 53 seconds. His soul mate was here in the same place as him, and it could be anyone. He felt the need to walk up to every person in the shop and ask, “Hey, are you my soul mate?” but he resisted the urge. He was worried doing that would mess up the time somehow.

“With tears in his eyes, he knew there’s no one in sight. And he tried to tell himself that it’ll be alright.”

Alex wondered how deadly accurate the guy in the stage was singing.

A while later, the song ended and everyone applauded the singer.

“Thank you, all. Hope everyone has a good day!” he said with a smile.

Alex was one of those people who could talk to just about anyone he wanted to talk to. If he thought something positive about someone, he’d tell them, so that said person knows. It made him feel good that he made people happy with a simple comment and he always made people smile. So he didn’t hesitate to walk up to the singer to compliment him on his performance.

“Hey you, you’re a really good singer, man.”

“Thanks, that means a lot,” he said.

Alex took a quick glimpse at his wrist. It was red. 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 5 seconds.

“Hey Nick, you did a great job there, man,” another male said, smiling at the singer; who was supposedly Nick.

“Thanks, John.” The male—John as Nick said—was wearing a plaid black and white flannel with a white shirt, blue skinny jeans, and black Vans. He had brown hair and friendly green eyes. Alex could easily see some tattoos on his arms and chest. John was a little bit taller than Alex but was thinner and didn’t have much muscle. But he still looked good either way.

0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds.

The watch turned blue and Alex looked like a deer staring at the lights of an oncoming car. He couldn’t believe that Nick’s friend was his soul mate. This didn’t make any sense to Alex. This wasn’t what he wanted. Could it have been a mistake?

Why, out of all people, did his soul mate have to be a guy?


	2. Chapter 2

No. No way in hell was his soulmate a guy.

But here he was, standing in front of this stranger. His wrist read 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds. He was sure it was a mistake until the man in front of him, known as John, gave him a strange look.

“Hey, uh,” he started, his cool demeanor drifting away. “This may be a strange question, but can I see your wrist?”

The auburn haired man hesitated, but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to show him. Maybe that wasn’t his real soulmate. Maybe there was a girl near him who was his soulmate, or maybe the time was wrong. Surely there’s been a time where the Higher Ups made a mistake.

Alex said nothing, holding out his wrist. The taller male gently holds his wrist in his hands, a strange wave of sensations flowing up his arm and crashing against the shores of his spine. There was no way he could ignore that unfamiliar sensation. He never experienced anything like it.

“Wow, both of our clocks are blue.” John gives him a warm smile. “I never expected us to meet this way. I hoped it would be more romantic.”

Both of them let out a chuckle, although Alex’s came out more awkward. “Yeah, same here, honestly.”

At that point, Nick left them alone, realizing the situation. After exchanging introductions, John invited Alex for a drink in the little coffee shop they were in. As they found a table in a quiet corner by the window, Alex volunteered to get them both drinks. He thought he would take the opportunity to see if maybe this was some sort of mistake and that John wasn’t the one.

His brief observations proved to be a bust. It seemed a majority of the people had a green clock on their wrists, the times way off. There were some like “2 years, 6 months, 17 days, 9 hours, 45 seconds” or “11 months, 24 days, 2 hours, 12 seconds.” He even hoped the cute barista would possibly be the one, but Alex noticed that where she was supposed to have her clock was replaced with a cliche infinity tattoo. Shame.

“Here’s your tea,” he mumbles out, setting their drinks on the table.

“Thank you.” The sandy blond male gives another one of his signature warm smiles, his fingers brushing against the other male. There was another wave of sensations running up Alex’s spine again, and he found himself oddly blushing by the power of a simple action. “Did you imagine it ever being like this?”

“What do you mean?” he questions, hoping his blush isn’t noticeable.

“You know, meeting your soulmate?” He takes a sip of his English Breakfast tea, making intense eye contact.

The question brings upon a sense of guilt within Alex. This John guy seemed to be pretty nice so far, and Alex was quick to look for someone else. He was quick to assume this courteous man was a mistake. The brown haired male felt terrible, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. Alex didn’t want to tell his supposed soulmate the truth about his feelings. “Not really. I always imagined it to be one of those cliche ways of meeting. I’m sort of a sucker for romcoms.”

The taller man laughs at this. “Wow really? I’m sorry if I didn’t meet your expectations. Although meeting at a coffee shop sort of fits the cliche criteria, right?”

Alex smiles. “I guess you’re right on that one. What about you though? What did you think it would be like?”

John finds himself sitting back more casually, suddenly feeling more comfortable around his soulmate. “I didn’t really have any expectations. Fate works in mysterious ways, and I am just more than willing to let fate do its work.”

“Did you expect it to be me?” Alex inquires. John gives him a confused look. “You know, uh. Did you expect it would be a guy?”

“Oh.” John laughs again, the other male a bit taken back by this. He seemed so unnerved by the whole situation. Alex was truly in awe. “I don’t mind it if that’s what you mean. Yeah, it’s a little surprising, but why limit love into one gender, you know? There are things about men that are beautiful the same way it’s beautiful with women. I don’t question fate, the Higher Ups, or whoever set us up. Because I’m sure that there’s a reason why we’re here in this moment.”

Shit, that was a nice answer. It was such an excellent answer that it made Alex even more guilty for doubting the Higher Up’s work. John was nice! John didn’t question the situation at all and was quick to accept his fate as Alex’s soulmate. God was Alex feeling like such a douche.

“Does it make you uncomfortable though?” John asks. He figured he must feel some sort of way if he was asking.

For a moment, Alex is quiet. He finds himself no longer looking at John but at the empty evergreen mug in front of him. “Sort of? I mean, I always expected it to be a girl. I’ve had such expectations for this moment that it’s a bit overwhelming how much my expectations were not at all met.” John slightly frowns at this answer, Alex is quick to notice. “Not that I don’t like this! It’s nice, uh, you’re really nice. But you know how it is when you spend time imagining how you want something to go only for it to not. Right?”

That damn smile comes back again. Alex is content since he didn’t want to make his soulmate feel bad. “I get it, don’t worry. Listen, I have to be heading out. Can we exchange numbers? I’d like to see you again if that’s okay.”

“Yeah! Uh, sure.”

After they exchange numbers, they depart. As he walks home, thoughts run through his mind like a marathon. How was he going to tell his friends and family? How would they even react to his soulmate being a man? Nearly every couple he knew were man and woman; he would be the odd one out. His family was so excited, his mother especially. She was already messaging him, asking how she looks like and if she is like he hoped she would be.

Fuck, what was he going to do?


	3. Chapter 3

When Alex returned home that day, he was met with his parents patiently waiting for his arrival. As much as he loved seeing his parents, all he wanted to do was kick back and binge watch Netflix shows until sleep possessed his body. Fortunately for the brunet male, his parents stayed for a short amount of time as they realized how late it was getting. They insisted that they wanted to meet  _her_  for dinner, preferably soon.  
  
He groaned internally  _and_  externally at this. What the hell was he going to tell his parents? They were so excited to meet his soulmate after years of waiting, he was afraid to disappoint them. But John was such a nice guy, he had such an animated energy about him, so maybe his parents would like that about him ~~(and ignore the fact that _she_  was a  _he)_~~. He was radiant and somehow was able to relax Alex a little bit despite the situation he was in. And he seemed to be caring about Alex despite barely knowing him. Sometime after Alex arrived home, John had asked him if he arrived home safely. Too afraid to text him and come off eager, he waited until later during the night to reassure his soulmate. And he texted back quicker than Alex had hoped for,  _“Great to hear! Sleep well, goodnight.”_  
  
Why did this guy have to be so caring? It’s making it harder for Alex to  **not**  like him.  
  
It was the morning now. Today, he was waiting back on an email from a client and he didn’t have any work to finish so Alex had another day off. As much as he enjoys the time off, he desperately desired some sort of distraction. A distraction from the good morning text that John sent him. A distraction from the texts from his mom and his friends asking when can they meet Alex's soulmate.  
  
Suddenly he gets a call from his mom. He wants to let it ring but he could never do that to her. “Hey, mom, what’s up?”  
  
 _“Alex, darling! Have you been ignoring your own mother’s text messages?!”_  
  
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. He wants to tug it out of frustration but he decides against. “No mom, I’ve just been trying to finish up writing an article for a client. It’s due in a few days.” He feels guilty for the lie, but what could he do?  
  
 _“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry if I’m distracting you from your work. It’s just that your father and I are so excited to meet your soulmate as I’m sure your friends are as well. We even cleared our schedule today just to meet her!”_  
  
Oh god. “You want to meet them  _today_? Don’t you think it’s, um, too soon? I haven’t gotten to chance to even get to know them yet, mom.”  
  
There’s a brief moment of silence on the other line. Alex assumes that his mother is taking in the fact that her son barely knows anything about his soulmate yet. He hopes this can be some form of distraction from his parents meeting John. Everything just seems to be rushing so quickly.  _“Hm, I suppose you’re right. Well, we still want to meet her soon, okay? How about you spend some time getting to know them and then we have dinner. Whatever you want, my boy. As long as we meet her soon, I’m dying to meet her!”_  
  
He agrees with his mother’s proposition. After a few more exchanges, they hang up. He didn’t want to do this but he sends a text message and hopes for the best.  
  


•──────⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱──────•

  
  
A knock on the door makes Alex groan internally. He tries to muster up a positive attitude and opens the door. “Hey, I’m glad you’re here. Sorry for this being so sudden.”  
  
“No it’s okay, I didn’t have any plans anyway. I brought some bagels and coffee in case you didn’t have breakfast.”  
  
The aroma of warm, freshly toasted french toast bagels fills Alex’s nose. They smell so divine, he hopes his stomach didn’t grumble too loudly. “Thanks, you didn’t have to. Please come in, make yourself comfortable.” He takes the coffee and bagels from their hands, watching them take off their denim jacket and set it gently on one of the dining chairs. “So John, um…”  
  
Alex trails off, not really knowing what to say. Or rather, how to start off the conversation. It was still a bit weird having his soulmate in his apartment. John gives him his signature warm smile. “John, there’s sort of a reason why I invited you here.”  
  
The taller male chuckles, deciding to sit in one of the chairs. “What’s up?” Alex decides to be honest and spills about what had happened when he came home, although he leaves out that he ignored his text on purpose, and what had happened this morning. He figured if he needed to talk to anyone about this, it had to be his soulmate. “Ah, I see. You’re worried about what they’ll think about it.”  
  
“Yeah, and I hope don’t come off like an asshole. It’s just that,” he sighs heavily, John frowning a bit at the change of demeanor, “I think ever since my brother died, it’s been really hard on them with this whole soulmate stuff. They were really excited to meet his soulmate and see if maybe that would make him happier, but I guess it wasn’t enough and… you know.”  
  
Not really knowing what to do, John makes a move and gives Alex a reassuring touch on his arm. Drops of tears crash onto John’s hand like light rainfall. “It’s okay, you can’t help the way you feel. All of this is overwhelming. But you don’t have to go through it alone, you know?”  
  
Maybe he was right, Alex thought.  
  


•──────⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱──────•

  
  
Playing host was something Alex didn’t mind too often. He threw parties at his apartment from time to time. Dinner parties were slightly different, but he did the job well. So why did anxiety run through his veins and crash headfirst in his stomach? He swore he was going to die of an anxiety attack or something before the dinner even started.  
  
“Alex, relax,” Rian said, giving a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Everything is going well so far, and it’ll stay that way for the rest of the night.”  
  
His now fianceé, Cassadee, attaches herself onto his free arm with affection, giving the other male a reassuring smile. “You know, I was like you too. I can guarantee we all were when introducing our soulmate to our family and friends for the first time. But just remember that if things don’t go well, we’re still here for you.”  
  
“Thanks, Cass. You too Rian. It really means a lot. I didn’t think my nervousness was so noticeable, though.”  
  
“It’s practically written on your face,” Cassadee jokes. She pulls him into a short, but loving hug. “Come on, let’s mingle with the rest of your guests. It could take your mind off your jitters. Anyway, what’s taking your guest of honor so long?”  
  
Alex’s mother overhears this, abandoning her conversation with her husband and a few other of Alex’s close friends. “She’s right, where is she, honey?”  
  
Alex gives his mother a timid smile. “They’re running into some traffic right now since they were dropping off some family to the airport. But they wanted me to reassure you all that they’ll be here soon and they apologize.”  
  
Alex’s mother practically swoons over the kindness of the message. “Tell her to take all the time she needs! As long as she’s safe and comes in one piece, that is what matters. And tell her we won’t start dinner without her either! I want her to be the first to eat my steak and ale pie!”  
  
She goes off, talking about how it’s been long since she made her infamous steak and ale pie and that she made it for this special occasion. Alex only partially listens as he texts John, who reassures him that he’ll be there less than ten minutes. As the brunet man announces this, his parents quickly huddle to the dining area. Everyone else isn’t as quick to retreat over there, but they slowly make their way there among their conversation.  
  
His guests seem to be too lost in conversation for them to notice the door knocking. The host was quick to notice as he was too anxious to get lost in all the small talk and reminiscing.  
  
“Hey, sorry for being so late. I brought wine though, I hope that makes up for it.” John smiles, holding up a frosted tan bottle of wine. Alex notices that he also has a small gift bag in hand, but he doesn’t mention it.  
  
“Don’t worry about it. Here, let me take your coat and I’ll hang it up for you,” he says, taking in his soulmate’s appearance. The formerly sandy blond, now cedar haired male was wearing a black suit jacket with matching black dress pants. The lapel of the jacket and the waist belt of the dress pants had an identical embroidered design, which was pleasing to the eye. His white dress shirt was tucked in and buttoned all the way except one, subtly revealing his chest tattoos. His black dress shoes look untouched, not a single flaw in sight. His brown hair was perfectly swept back, Alex couldn’t even tell that John had actually ran down the hall like a mad man, feeling horrible for making everyone wait for his arrival. John just had that natural cool about him. And damn it, he looked  _good_ , Alex couldn’t deny that. He felt slightly insecure standing beside him.  
  
John patiently waited for Alex to hang his winter coat, a bit anxious to go out there alone  ~~although he’d never admit it out loud~~. Once Alex was done, they walked into the dining area side by side. Alex’s mother is quick to notice the stranger beside Alex. “Honey, another friend? Lovely! I made too much food for the special occasion, so I’m glad we have another mouth to feed.” She gives a warm smile to John, who returns it. “Alex, any updates on when she'll arrive? I’m worried the food will get cold."  
  
“Um, no need to worry about that mom. Actually,  _he_  is right here. Mom, dad, everyone, this is my soulmate, John.”  
  
Suddenly, the conversations came to a halt and silence fell upon the room.


	4. Chapter 4

The room was silent for a moment; the only sound was the faint music playing in the background. Alex wanted nothing more than to run into his bedroom, lock himself in there, and hide from everyone. This dinner was undoubtedly a mistake, and nothing could change his mind.  
  
“Honey, you never told me he was so handsome!”  
  
Okay, maybe  _one_  thing could change his mind.  
  
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Gaskarth. I’m John O’Callaghan,” his soulmate speaks up, his hand out to shake hers. Their hands meet, only for her to bring the tall man into a warm hug.  
  
“Sweetie, you’re family now!” she says, practically squeezing the life out of him, “My name is Isobel, no need for the formalities now. And this is my husband as well as Alexander’s father, Peter.”  
  
All Alex could do was watch his soulmate, and his parents interact with each other. It was a sight he longed to see, that it made him feel strange now that he’s finally watching it all unfold in front of him. As they were speaking, everyone else went back to their small talk. God, did he really want John to pop open that bottle of wine he brought so he could chug it down his throat and make this anxious feeling in his stomach go away.  
  
“Ah! I see you brought a bottle of wine for the night,” Peter points out as his wife instructs everyone to the dining area to begin their meal.  
  
“Why yes,” he chuckles at the older male’s observation. “I got this wine a while back as a gift. I thought I’d open it when the occasion called for it. I figured tonight was as good as any.”  
  
“I couldn’t agree with you more, my boy,” the older male agrees, letting out a slight rumble of laughter.  
  
Everyone goes to make themselves a plate, the soulmates going last. John passes Alex a plate, this simple action making the brunet male’s mother swoon. She is quick to hand her son’s soulmate a plate of his own, piling it up practically to the ceiling of Alex’s apartment. The older woman claims that John needed to eat well tonight, as he was too skinny.  
  
“Thank you for the concern, Isobel,” John says, giving her a closed eye smiles.  
  
The tall male sits beside Alex, who is tapping his foot anxiously under the table. Rian shoots Alex a strange look, which does nothing to calm his nerves. The gentle hand that sits on his thigh, however, seems to make the tapping slow down. Did this guy have some sort of magically touch that he didn’t know about? Why the hell did he seem so perfect?  
  
Everyone eats, asking John questions about himself. It almost makes the chestnut hair male laugh, it felt more like an interrogation than just small talk. His eyes dart over to his mother, who is spitting out questions every minute or so. But suddenly, she observes the man sitting beside Alex carefully. He wonders why, until he realizes that John was taking a bite out of the steak and ale pie his mother made. Alex recalls now that his mother made it especially for this night, and she had been dying to have John be the first to taste it.  
  
“Wow, this is really amazing, Isobel. Did you use chocolate stout?” John asks, wiping off a bit of gravy from his lips.  
  
Her eyes practically shine at the observation. “Yes!”  
  
“It’s a good call on your part. I’ve had a few steak and ale pies, but I feel people just throw in any kind of beer just because it gets cooked off. But they forget that it leaves a special kind of flavor.” He examines the pie again. “The chocolate stout is a wise choice, in my opinion.”  
  
Alex could practically see his mother’s heart beat out of her chest in excitement. Even Peter was surprised at this, for he never really noticed the difference when comparing his wife’s dish from someone else’s. “My, my, how are you able to pick up on such a thing?”  
  
The cedar haired male smiles. “I work as a sous chef in a banquet hall. Although we don’t serve steak and ale pie, I have a coworker who makes it from time to time for lunch. His dish is alright if I must be honest. However, nothing compares to this. It’s almost too perfect. The meat is tender, the gravy is nice and thick, and even the puff pastry is cooked perfectly. I can’t find one burned piece.”  
  
If Alex had to be honest, he sort of lost John during his rambles about his mother’s dish. Maybe he wasn’t  _that_  interested because this was a dish he had often growing up. But the way his mother looks at John, that sparkle in her eye as he compliments the work she put into the dish, was something he could never miss. It warms his heart, watching his mother being flattered to death by his soulmate.  
  
“So you’re a chef then?” Alex’s friend, Gabe, inquires.  
  
“Yeah, it's nothing fancy or anything. But I love what I do and have fun doing it,” John answers truthfully.  
  
“Well it’s a good thing then because Alex  _sucks_  at cooking,” Gabe jokes, although he was actually a little bit serious. They were roommates in college. Alex couldn’t even make macaroni and cheese if his life depended on it.  
  
“What was your reaction to meeting Alex?” asks Gabe’s soulmate (and wife), Sierra. The question makes everyone listen closely, even Alex.  
  
John shrugs, chuckling a little bit. He begins to open the bottle of wine he brought over casually. “I was happy. I mean, I wasn’t doing backflips and all, but I was excited. And a little nervous, to be honest. But talking to Alex for the first time made me feel like things would be okay.” He looks over at his soulmate, giving him a soft smile. The gesture makes Alex’s parents’ heart flutter. “I always hear that the soulmate process can be tough, but I know that I’m not going through it alone. Alex is the one person who will understand what our process feels like. I worried that I would feel alone through it, but the moment I met Alex, all of that worry went away.”  
  
Wow, this man seriously has a way with words. If this guy weren’t a sous chef, Alex would have thought he was a salesman. Each word he uttered was too perfect, in his opinion. As if he knew the right things to say to make everyone get hooked. He looks at his friends, who gave approving looks toward John's answer. He looks at his parents, and they look at each other with satisfaction.  
  
Alex didn’t like thinking this way, but there was something about John that he felt was off. He was like the personification of perfection. His appearance had no flaws; there was nothing terrible that stood out to him. John just had an angelic presence, as if it were a part of him. The way he spoke, it was as if he always knew what everyone wanted to hear. The way he came off, he never hints any sort of negative emotion. Alex couldn’t believe that John was even remotely nervous during their first encounter. John had such a collective and cool energy about him, it was hard even to notice that he felt such a way.  
  
To the disappointment of his parents, Alex unknowingly starts to distance himself from John. He lets John mingle with his guests. Alex practically allows him to host the rest of the night; his soulmate would do the job better than him in Alex’s opinion. The cedar haired male was cracking jokes and conversing with everyone, almost to the point where they’ve forgotten about the other male. Alex was like the supporting act and John was the headliner. At least, that was how Alex felt.  
  
The chestnut haired male silently excuses himself, slipping into the unoccupied room nearby, which was his office. Alex sets his third glass of wine into the windowsill. He hears steps following behind him, and it’s John.  
  
“Hey,” he says, leaning against a bookcase. “Are you okay? You look kind of down.”  
  
Alex turns to face his soulmate, taking notice in the way his eyes glimmer with concern. “I’m just tired, I guess.”  
  
The taller male doesn’t quite believe it, but he doesn’t interrogate him further. He could see that there was something troubling his soulmate, but he didn’t want to pry it out of him. Alex had his moments where he would be distant, allow John to take baby steps inside, but then close the door again. “You should rest, it is getting late anyway. We can head out and give you space, whatever you want.”  
  
Alex nods his head in agreement, silently walking pass John. This action makes the taller man frown, but he does not comment. All he does is follow right behind Alex. Alex hints that he isn’t feeling well to his guests, his mother taking charge by asking everyone to leave so he could rest. Eventually, one by one, bodies exit the apartment (not before exchanging numbers with John, of course). The remaining guests are his parents and his soulmate, who stay to clean before heading out.  
  
“Sweetie, you can go home if you want. We can take care of the rest,” Isobel says as she puts away the food.  
  
John only shakes his head at this as he washes the dishes. “It’s no trouble at all to help. Besides, you’ve worked hard to prepare the food, and I didn’t even get to help with dinner. It would mean a lot to at least help clean.”  
  
Peter smiles at this, collecting the trash. “You’re a fine young man, John. I’m glad our son is blessed to have someone such as yourself as his soulmate.”  
  
The cedar haired male gives his sincerest thanks to Peter. John starts to reflect on what his soulmate had informed him a week prior to the dinner; about the death of his older brother and the toll it took on his parents. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like as parents to have their child die before them, to live with the loss of their son every single day. He couldn’t imagine the pressure Alex felt to meet the expectations of being a good soulmate since his brother passed. John’s heart went out to both of them.  
  
After they finished cleaning, they finally get ready to part ways for the time being. “Oh, I forgot to give you these,” John says, grabbing the gift ball Alex saw earlier. “I bought you both gifts.”  
  
He hands them each their own box. The couple looking at each other for a moment, before going ahead and opening the box. Isobel opens up a long, cream-colored box that held a rose gold bracelet decorated with pearls and small diamonds. Peter opens up a tan box that held a rose gold watch with little diamonds decorated inside. They matched perfectly. Isobel dives into a hug, giving John a motherly kiss on the cheek. Peter goes to shake his hand as his thanks.  
  
“Oh John, we are so blessed to have you as a part of this family. Please, come visit us soon with Alexander!”  
  
Finally, Alex’s parents leave. John lingers a little longer, no complaints coming from his soulmate. They discuss the events of the dinner (although, mostly about Alex’s parents).  
  
“I wonder if my mom will be okay not having grandkids,” Alex jokes as he begins to reorganize his living space.  
  
John chuckles at this. “I’m not sure she’ll be worried too much about that,” he adds.  
  
Alex nods his head in agreement. “I guess you’re right. She’ll go  _on_  about adoption. I know she’ll definitely be all over the idea of having a surrogate,” he jokes again.  
  
The other man chuckles again, shrugging his shoulders. “Eh, not even that. I think she’ll be happy to know that she already has a granddaughter.”  
  
Wait,  _what?_

 


End file.
